Garcia to give Shanghai a miss
Sergio Garcia is the latest big name to announce that he will be sitting out this week’s WGC-HSBC Champions.
Sergio Garcia is the latest big name to announce that he will be sitting out this week’s WGC-HSBC Champions.
Garcia has a chance to pick up a third successive victory in Shanghai after consecutive victories on the European Tour in the last two weeks – first at the Castello Masters and then the Andalucia Masters – but he has decided against going for the hat-trick, choosing instead to rest and recuperate after an intensive period of competition.
The 31-year-old in fact only managed to qualify for the WGC event by picking up the two wins in his native Spain, but it still was not enough to sway him to seek another victory at an event he won back in 2008.
His place in the elite field now goes to American Jim Furyk instead.
A runaway 11-shot victory at the Castello and then a narrow one-shot victory over Miguel Angel Jimenez at Valderrama has lifted Garcia back into the top 20 on the rankings list and reaffirmed his status as one of the best golfers in the world.
The Shanghai showpiece is also without world number one Luke Donald, who will be staying in the USA to be with his wife Diane, who is expecting their second child.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods also won’t be in attendance.
Rory McIlroy will be there, though, as he continues his lengthy 11-week stint in the East. A victory at the Shanghai Masters over the weekend sees him in good shape ahead of the tournament.
Other big names in attendance include World No 2 Lee Westwood, Masters champion Charl Schwartzel, US PGA champion Keegan Bradley, Martin Kaymer and Adam Scott.
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